The Washington Post today launches “Issue Engine,” a news application on The Post’s website that allows users to easily explore and keep track of the presidential candidates views’ on major election issues. Readers can then choose to “endorse” President Obama’s or Gov. Romney’s stance on a particular issue and share comments about their reasoning behind each endorsement. If a user is logged onto Facebook and interacts with The Issue Engine, they can also easily show their friends how and why they “endorsed” a candidate on a specific issue.

“The Issue Engine is part of a group of tools The Washington Post is creating to help users make sense of the election and have a conversation around it. We’re excited to create something that allows people to share their voice on the issues that matter most,” said Cory Haik, Executive Producer of The Washington Post.

The Issue Engine compares the candidates’ views on healthcare, jobs, immigration, social issues and other issues by collecting official campaign statements, candidate speeches and social media data. Users are able to view the statements side-by-side and may even request a fact check from The Post’s Fact Checker through the app.